Welcome to HIMSS' Health IT Policy Update, bringing you the latest news on legislative and regulatory activities related to health IT from HIMSS' Government Relations office. We welcome your feedback, and if you're reading this complimentary newsletter online or receiving it as a forward, please subscribe.

Congressional Affairs

HIMSS Provides Input to Energy & Commerce Committee on SOFTWARE Act
In response to a request for stakeholder input from Chairman Fred Upton of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, HIMSS joined the Bipartisan Policy Center and the Health It Now Coalition to coordinate a multi-organization letter to provide feedback on the Sensible Oversight for Technology Which Advances Regulatory Efficiency Act of 2013 (SOFTWARE Act – HR 3303). Click the link above to download the letter.

Institute for e-Health Policy Focuses Congress on Telehealth
This week, the Institute for e-Health Policy hosted a Capitol Hill Luncheon Seminar Series session on “Telehealth is Ready for Prime Time - Engaging Opportunities and Addressing Barriers Toward Ubiquitous Implementation in Rural and Urban America.” Photos and video of the event will be posted shortly. Click the link to learn more.

FDASIA Workshop Details Announced
Following the recent publishing of the long-awaited FDASIA report by FDA, ONC and FCC, the agencies have announced the details of an interactive workshop held May 13-15 titled “Proposed Risk-Based Regulatory and Framework and Strategy for Health Information Technology.” Click the link above to view a copy of the agenda and for registration information.

CMS Touts Strong Start in the First 90 Days of EFT Program
This week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the results of the first three months for newly adopted standards and operating rules for healthcare electronic funds transfers (EFT) standard transactions that health plans are required to compliant with starting this past January 1st. Click the link for details.

CONNECT Project Transitions from FHA to Open Source Community
The Federal Health Architecture Program (FHA) has announced that “As part of the program’s development, CONNECT is no longer a federated program. Open Health Tools (OHT), a 501(c)(6) non-profit organization that governs open source communities and provides a framework for individuals, vendors, and government to collaborate on health IT projects, has taken on the responsibility of governance and code management of CONNECT.” Click the link for details, and to learn how to participate.

CMS Releases New Resources on eHealth University
During the HIMSS14 Annual Conference, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) rolled out a new education campaign and resource center called the eHealth University. Click the link for information about newly-available materials.

HIMSS Regulatory Chart Tracks Health IT Regulations
The HIMSS regulatory chart offers an at-a-glance snapshot of all health IT-related regulation HIMSS is following in 2014. The chart includes links to proposed and final regulations and to HIMSS comments and position statements, along with anticipated timelines.

State Affairs

Innovative Advocacy Events in Ohio & Texas
On April 3rd, 2014 the Central and Southern Ohio HIMSS chapter and the Northern Ohio HIMSS Chapter partnered with Ohio Health Information Management Association (OHIMA) and the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) to host the 7th Annual Ohio Healthcare Information Technology Day in Columbus at the State House Atrium.

In Texas, the legislature meets once every two years; therefore, to keep health IT fresh in the minds of legislators during the second year of the biennium, the Dallas / Fort Worth HIMSS Chapter recently partnered with Children’s Medical Center in Dallas, an EMRAM Stage 7 and Davies Award Winning Facility, to host the Health Information Technology Stakeholder Summit and tour. Click the link to read a blog post about these successful events in Ohio and Texas.

HIMSS Innovation Center Webcasts Ohio Health IT Day
The 7th Annual Ohio Health IT Advocacy Day was webcast for the first time from the HIMSS Innovation Center in Cleveland, enabling participants from across the country to view the lectures and activities. Health IT students from HIMSS Innovation Center Collaborator John Carroll University also viewed the webcast. “It was powerful for my students to see Ohio legislators talking about some of the same issues that we had discussed earlier in the semester,” said Dan Palmer, PhD. View the conference here. Learn more about the HIMSS Innovation Center.

HIMSS News

Virtual Briefing: Health IT and Policy beyond Meaningful Use and ICD-10
Join government policy experts as they discuss the challenges of health IT in the era of the Affordable Care Act. Attendees of this virtual briefing will explore the current state of health IT policy, identify trends in quality reporting and alignment across federal initiatives and incentive programs, and discover the benefits of consistent adoption of heath IT exchange standards. This events takes place on April 30, so register now.

Virtual Briefing: HIMSS Analytics Continuity of Care Maturity Model
HIMSS Analytics will share the new Continuity of Care Maturity Model, a global model that addresses the importance of interoperability, information exchange, care coordination, patient engagement and analytics with the ultimate goal of holistic individual and population health management, during this virtual briefing on May 21. During this Virtual Briefing, John Hoyt, Executive Vice President of HIMSS Analytics will review the stages of this new model as an industry driver to transform care delivery. Register here.

Health IT Policy Update is a weekly online newsletter published by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS).

The inclusion of an organization name, product or service in this publication should not be construed as a HIMSS endorsement of such organization, product or service, nor is the failure to include an organization name, product or service to be construed as disapproval.

Volunteer for Health IT Leadership Awards and Congressional Asks Work Groups
This year’s HIMSS Policy Summit will take place on September 17-18, as part of National Health IT Week (September 15-19, 2014). Each year, Policy Summit activities are made possible through the participation of HIMSS volunteers. Member involvement is crucial in shaping the messages that HIMSS members carry to Capitol Hill during the annual Policy Summit, and in selecting award recipients for the Annual State, Federal, and Congressional Health IT Leadership Awards. Click the link to learn more.

Ensure the continuation of your HIMSS member benefits, login to the Member Center to renew your membership today. If you need a paper invoice, request one via e–mail to the Member Services department. You can also renew by phone at 312–664–4467 (option 8, then 2).